wu19wc team_six6s cricket score_Meet the Scottish Player who Moved to India for Love, is a Net Bowler for GT and Wants to Play Ranji Trophy.
Not long back, he was training with the Gujarat Titans team before bowling to Rohit and was bowling non-stop since the players reached Narendra Modi Stadium. Another tall player, wearing a Gujarat Cricket Association training kit and collecting balls near the boundary ropes, revealed that the leggie in action is “mera dost Thomas” (my friend Thomas). “Ye bahar rehta tha, ab yaha shaadi kar li aur yaha khelta hai (he used to live overseas and has been training in Ahmedabad after getting married here)”.
Interesting was the first reaction but it was only a little teaser into a story fit to become a Bollywood script. Later in the evening, when the training sessions of both sides had culminated, Thomas, after a long day, was walking back to the parking lot before he turned on hearing his name and was surprised when quizzed about his journey.
“How do you know all this,” he politely asked and then changed the training gear for a candid chat on his life, wife and love for cricket. Thomas Jones grew up in Kent, South England and played a lot of Academy cricket there before making the move to Scotland in search of better opportunities. Pre-season gigs with Yorkshire and Durham followed but his main focus was to make it to Scotland’s cricket team.
The tall leggie was putting in the hard yards for taking his cricket to the next level before a Gujarati girl, from Ahmedabad, entered his life and they fell in love. During that period, COVID-19 stalled all cricketing activities in the region and separated Thomas from both the game and his girlfriend. While there wasn’t any headway as far as cricket was concerned, Thomas followed his girlfriend to India, decided to get married and settle here and also pursue the cricketing dream.
“Coming from Scotland, living here in Ahmedabad, getting married to a Gujarati girl is a lot of fun. I love India a lot. Really happy to be here. I met her in Scotland and then COVID-19 happened so we got separated for a year and then I followed her here. Now it’s been a year and nine months since I have been here. We have been back once since we’ve been married here in India and Scotland too,” says Thomas in a chat with News18 CricketNext.
Ever since moving to India, Thomas continues to train with different clubs in the city to improve his game and finally got a big break when he approached Ashish Nehra and asked him if he could bowl to Gujarat Titans during their nets in Ahmedabad. The head coach agreed and Thomas joined the defending champs the very next day.
“Ashish bhai has been very accommodating, everyone has been very accommodating. It’s the most relaxed and professional environment I have ever been in. And I have only been there for not beyond 2-3 weeks. I came here and asked Ashish bhai if I can come (to bowl in nets) and the next day I was here,” says Thomas.
